Conservatism
Conservatism is the ideology that prioritises order, continuity and the preservation of tried-and-tested institutions over the pursuit of abstract ideals.
Before you start
No specific prerequisites - this is a good place to start.
Method
- Identify whether the question is about conservative principles in general or about a specific strand (traditional, one-nation, New Right); naming the correct strand earns credit that a generic answer misses.
- Learn the core principles examiners expect and state each in one sentence: human imperfection, organic society, hierarchy and authority, tradition, pragmatism and the defence of property.
- Attach each principle to a named thinker: Hobbes for the pessimistic view of human nature and the need for a strong sovereign; Burke for organic society, tradition and 'little platoons'.
- When a question asks you to analyse or evaluate, do not present conservatism as one settled view; show that traditional conservatives, one-nation conservatives and the New Right disagree over how much the state should do, especially in the economy.
- Use precise conservative vocabulary in every paragraph: organic society, hierarchy, paternalism, pragmatism, tradition, empiricism, human imperfection; vague everyday synonyms cost marks.
- For an extended question, plan a short paragraph structure before writing: one paragraph per thinker or strand, each with a claim, evidence, and an explicit link back to the question.
- Finish with a judgement that directly answers the question, weighing which strand's view is more persuasive rather than simply summarising what each thinker said.
Worked example
A student has been asked: 'Explain the conservative view of human nature.' Plan an answer that uses Thomas Hobbes accurately.
- Identify the command word: 'Explain' requires a clear point plus development, not just a list of adjectives.
- State the core claim: conservatives see human nature as imperfect, limited and driven by fear and self-interest rather than as essentially rational and good.
- Bring in Hobbes precisely: in the state of nature, without government, competition for scarce resources and fear of violent death lead to a war of every man against every man, so life is 'solitary, poor, nasty, brutish and short'.
- Draw the political conclusion Hobbes reaches: because people cannot be trusted to restrain themselves, they need an absolute sovereign (the Leviathan) established by a social contract to impose order.
- Link the point to conservatism more broadly: this pessimism about unrestrained human reason is why conservatives value strong authority, established institutions and tradition over abstract plans for a better society.
- Close by noting a limit: later conservatives such as Burke keep Hobbes's pessimism about human reason but reject his absolute sovereign in favour of organic, gradually evolved institutions.
Practice questions
Try each question, then tap to reveal the answer.
Q1What does 'human imperfection' mean in conservative thought?Show answer
Answer: The belief that people are morally and intellectually flawed and limited in their capacity for pure reason, so they need the guidance of authority, tradition and established institutions rather than being left to govern themselves purely by abstract principles.
Q2According to Hobbes, what is life like in the state of nature without government?Show answer
Answer: 'Solitary, poor, nasty, brutish and short' - a war of every man against every man caused by competition, fear of violent death and the absence of a common power to keep people in order.
Q3What did Burke mean by 'little platoons'?Show answer
Answer: The small, local institutions, such as the family, the church and the local community, that Burke believed people's loyalty and identity are rooted in, standing between the individual and the state.
Q4Give one reason why conservatives value tradition.Show answer
Answer: Tradition embodies the accumulated practical wisdom of past generations, tested by experience, which conservatives trust more than the untested abstract plans of individual reformers.
Q5What is meant by pragmatism in conservative thought?Show answer
Answer: A preference for judging policies by whether they work in practice, and for gradual, empirical adjustment, rather than applying a fixed ideological blueprint.
Q6Explain the conservative view of hierarchy.Show answer
Answer: Conservatives see hierarchy, such as differences of wealth, status and authority, as a natural and functional feature of an organic society that provides leadership and order, rather than as an injustice to be abolished.
Q7What is the social contract, according to Hobbes?Show answer
Answer: An agreement among individuals in the state of nature to surrender their freedom to a sovereign authority in exchange for protection and order.
Q8Why do conservatives describe society as 'organic'?Show answer
Answer: Because they see society as a living whole that has grown gradually over time, with each part interconnected and each generation owing obligations to the past and future, rather than as a machine that can be redesigned from scratch.
Exam-style questions
Written in the style of a A Level Politics exam paper, with a full mark scheme.
Analyse the conservative view of the state, with reference to Thomas Hobbes and Edmund Burke.
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Evaluate the extent to which conservatives agree on the role of the state. You must consider this view and the alternative view in a balanced way, and reach a supported judgement.
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See real A Level Politics past-paper questions, with official mark schemes →
Free printable worksheet
Want more practice on paper? Download the conservatism worksheet pack - 7 pages of exam-style questions with a full mark scheme. One email opens every download in this browser for 14 days - no account, no card. Print it for personal and classroom use.
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